Andi Oliver

HONEY-BAKED CHICKEN WINGS AND SWEETCORN PUDDING

Oh my sweetcorn pudding… A dish of dreams. The first time I encountered it was about 20 years ago at a party in West London. The brilliantly talented American chef Ashbell McElveen was cooking a vast universe of delicious dishes for his then new London restaurant. I was with my darling friend Neneh Cherry and neither of us had ever tasted anything like it. It was instant enchantment. We have since discovered it’s an American Southern soul food classic. Sweetcorn pudding and fried chicken, anyone? Yes, yes Lord! Ashbell was kind enough to give us his recipe on the night. It was love at first bite – creamy, soothing and delectable. It went straight into the family repertoire. We make this every Christmas, birthday, barbeque, summer picnic – any excuse basically and nearly every time, I remember that first time.

SERVES 2-3

For the sweetcorn

340g tinned sweetcorn

3 eggs

300ml double cream

90g unsalted butter, melted

15g caster sugar

3 fat cloves garlic, chopped good pinch of sea salt handful of flat leaf parsley

For the chicken wings

1 medium onion, peeled and roughly chopped

4 cloves garlic puréed with 10ml olive oil

1-1.5kg chicken wings

1 lemon, cut in half

1 tbsp garam masala

1 tsp smoked paprika

2 bird’s eye chillies, finely chopped

300ml honey good splash olive oil

To make the sweetcorn, preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/ Gas 4, and blitz the cream, eggs, melted butter, sugar and salt in a food processor. Then throw 3 tablespoons of the sweetcorn, as well as the parsley and garlic, into the mix and give it one more blitz so that it’s all thoroughly combined. Tip the remaining sweetcorn into a deep oven-proof casserole dish (1.5-2 litre capacity) and pour over the mixture, give it a little stir to combine. Carefully place the casserole into the oven for about 1 hour or until the pudding is set.

Serve with anything you like, including these delicious easy to make chicken wings.

To prepare the wings, put the onion and garlic in a food processor or blender with 10ml olive oil and blitz to a purée. Wash the wings in cold water, drain well and place in a large bowl. Squeeze over the juice of the lemon, then add the spices, onion, garlic purée and chopped chillies and rub in thoroughly, making sure everything is fully coated.

Lay the wings in an even layer in a deep baking tray and place in the oven for 65 minutes, turning halfway through. When the time is up, drizzle the honey all over the chicken wings and return to the oven for 15 minutes until sticky.